2008 Winter holiday Las Posadas & Pastorela committee forming now

Emily N. Merchant, part of a trio that performed a Pastorela concert in the Adobe Chapel during Fiesta Navidad

Zidlochovice Children Choir Skrivanek (Skylark) from the Czech Republic performed in the Adobe Chapel to a standing room only crowd on their first American tour.

In 2006 SOHO was asked to take over a longtime Old Town San Diego tradition, Las Posadas. One day a gentleman came in to our office and explained that after having pursued all other avenues he needed help and that "I understand you folks save things." Well, what could we say to that, except, you came to the right place, that's exactly what we do! We began to research this pageant and learned that it had been a part of the cultural makeup of Old Town for over 150 years, off and on. We were shocked at the possibility of such an important piece of San Diego's cultural heritage being abandoned. We decided to not only help but to adopt it and with the help of Larry Bevers, the man who first came to us and who has been organizing the event for over 17 years, and with expertise from board member Welton Jones, who knows a thing or two about productions, we began an exciting chapter of preserving cultural historic traditions along with the buildings and landscapes that are so intimately tied together. Teaching a sense of place brings people closer and more involved to the importance of preserving historic places. Las Posadas is a part of the authentic history of our city and we want to develop it back into its rightful place as an integral part of San Diego's holiday season tradition.

It was a success that first year but is the kind of event that truly takes the whole community to make happen. That is why this 2007 holiday season we gathered the Old Town community together in an inter-organizational partnership to bring a new tradition to San Diego that encompassed all of the historic traditions of both 19th and 20th century into a weekend event called Fiesta Navidad. Planning for a two-day Las Posadas and Fiesta Navidad in 2008 will begin in February, with the emphasis on simplicity and bringing a historic holiday tradition back in a non-commercial community oriented event with music, historic tours and holiday ambiance. We are looking for people who are interested in developing this event with our partners, the State and County parks, Historic Old Town Community Foundation (HOTCF) and the Old Town Chamber of Commerce. If you love the winter holiday season, be it Christmas, Chanukah or otherwise and are interested in creating a multi-cultural event celebrating San Diego's history please contact us at sohosandiego@aol.com and get involved now. Meetings will begin in February.

2007 - Volume 38, Issue 3/4

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

From the Editor

Reconstructing Balboa Park's "Dream City"

Names & Milestones in the History of Prado Buildings

10 Vanished Balboa Park Landmarks

Historic Losses: Fires Devastate San Diego San Diego County's Historic Sites

California Tile: Our Claim to Tile Fame

The Use of Tile in the Home

Tile Resources

President's Message

Reflections

In Memoriam - Beth Montes

The Beth Montes Memorial Internship & Outreach Fund

Book Reviews

Letters to the Editor

Lost San Diego

Strength in Numbers